Approximating Real-Time IoT Interaction Through Connection Counting: A QoS Perspective

This study offers SimulatorBridger, a simulator for IoT and Osmotic computations considering the Edge/Cloud continuum enabling connection performance evaluation and optimization by providing different configuration abilities. We contextualize the need for this simulator within the e-Health domain, for which the timely transmission of patient data collected by IoT devices is crucial for guaranteeing adequate treatments. The study addresses two primary research questions: whether it is sufficient to estimate real-time communication times by counting IoT device connections rather than tracking precise locations, and the impact of different Osmotic configurations on IoT packet transmission times. Our findings demonstrate that SimulatorBridger effectively determines the optimal Osmotic architecture configurations for efficient communication. The results illustrate the simulator's ability to accurately replicate communication patterns using both detailed mobility traces (MT) and a simplified Minimum Common Denominator (MCD) approach, which considers only the number of communications per time unit. The importance of appropriate MEL allocation policies in optimizing communication times is underscored, showcasing the simulator's potential to enhance the efficiency and reliability of IoT-based patient monitoring systems in healthcare scenarios.